Walking or Hiking boots that look like dress boots?

August 6, 2022 5:29 PM

Looking for boots I can walk around in all day and then wear to the opera/fancy events.

I'm going on a very space limited vacation and we'll be mostly walking in the city. Are there boots that are intended for extended hiking/walking that look like dress boots? Chelsea works, a more western design works, anything black and without laces basically that has a tread. These Clarks Boots are a good example, but they don't have a tread and I'll be literally walking all day around many different environments.

posted by kittensofthenight to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (16 answers total)

This is probably not a useful answer because of the extreme expense of them, but I have a pair of Allen & Edmonds dress boots with a Dainite rubber sole which I would be very happy to wear for extended walking around a city, many hours a day. They do have a tread - not a hiking-boot tread, but I would be willing to take them on light trails if I found myself in such a situation. I have certainly worn them in adverse conditions (light ice) and not felt that it was a problem.

Unfortunately, this is definitely one of those situations where rich people can afford one pair of boots that last a zillion years and work in many situations, whereas if you can't afford it, the other options wear out sooner and are less comfortable and probably cost more in the long run. Still, I expect that these will genuinely last me the rest of my life, and therefore were a good investment.
posted by branca at 5:47 PM on August 6, 2022

Best answer: I'd probably just suggest a Blundstone. Good tread, comfy right out of the box, look good.
posted by curious nu at 5:57 PM on August 6, 2022 [6 favorites]

Pretty much everything The Walking Company sells, and most of what Footwear Etc sells, is walk-around-all-day gear, so I'd browse their stuff for anything that looks like the style you want. (I recommend that over a specific model just because feet are all so different...)
posted by Lady Li at 6:04 PM on August 6, 2022

I've done this with the Doc Martens Chelsea.
posted by Capt. Renault at 6:05 PM on August 6, 2022 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Seconding Blundstones; I've been walking everywhere in mine for two years and have worn them to the opera.
posted by earth by april at 6:16 PM on August 6, 2022 [1 favorite]

Best answer: I like my Blundstones, but I didn't find them comfortable out of the box. I'd recommend breaking them in a little if you go that route.
posted by Blue Jello Elf at 9:10 PM on August 6, 2022 [1 favorite]

I like Børn. Their styles rotate very rapidly and sometimes there's something dressier, but they are all well built and comfortable.
posted by porpoise at 10:55 PM on August 6, 2022 [3 favorites]

Best answer: Blundstones are great. I got the 1609s, they are lined and have a few other features for comfort. I found them comfortable straight out of the box.
posted by kinddieserzeit at 12:34 AM on August 7, 2022

Mrs. TheCoug has a pair of White's Packers that are quite fetching, very comfy, and have lasted years. She has burned through 4 sets of soles (we walk a LOT), and the uppers are still in great shape. They aint cheap, but they will last literally a lifetime.
posted by TheCoug at 8:32 AM on August 7, 2022

I have a pair of Børn leather boots, flat, sort of equestrian style. They have been incredibly comfortable, held up well for years with occasional polishing, and are now on their last, um, legs, and saved for times I'll really appreciate them. I have worn them dancing for an evening and been only slightly tender the next day. I have arthritis in my feet, and would clone these perfect boots if I could.

I love the look of Blundstones, tried a pair and they are too stiff for me to break in.
posted by theora55 at 9:45 AM on August 7, 2022 [2 favorites]

These Teva boots have been my daily wear for years. They are super comfortable out of the box, waterproof, and have a decent tread. I've hiked literally hundreds of miles in them (not all at once haha) and they've held up incredibly well. I have definitely worn them to fancy events after I wash the mud off.
posted by ananci at 10:08 AM on August 7, 2022

if you have enough time before the vacation, you can just take nice dress boots to a cobbler and have them put a durable sole on. as long as they're not too tight. the kind of boot that's good for walking on right out of the box is never made to look half as nice as the kind of boots that have paper-thin slippery soles, for reasons known only to boot manufacturers.

sometimes cobblers don't want to do this because they think it won't look good, but they are wrong
posted by queenofbithynia at 4:56 PM on August 7, 2022 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Great recs! Looking for men's boots fyi, sorry I didn't explain!
posted by kittensofthenight at 5:16 PM on August 7, 2022

Børn has a men's line too, and I have a pair of women's ankle boots that works fine with my cis man outfits.

For for comfort/ ruggedness/ formal in cis man - I really like Ecco; good tough grippy rollerblade wheel material soles but full grain leather uppers - and sports tech in the middle.
posted by porpoise at 9:14 PM on August 7, 2022

Best answer: I recommend Solovair over Doc Marten's, generally, for a few reasons. They had the contract to make Docs back in the 90s, and when they lost that to overseas manufacture they pivoted to their own DM-inspired designs.

1. These designs do not use their grey version of the "yellow stitching" as a structural element, but as purely decorative. This means that you can re-sole Solovair boots, and they will do so for the cost of shipping in many cases.
2. They have a vegan line under their Vegetarian Shoes...er...imprint? Sorry, I don't know what the equivalent term for a sub-brand is in the fashion world: my parents were librarians—give me a break!

One drawback is that they have slightly limited size ranges compared to DM, and I kind of get away with some fakery around a shoe that's a size up with an insert, and being careful about my choice of socks. But that's probably less of a problem with the leather models that will "warm" more to your feet than the petrochemical vegan models I wear do.
posted by rum-soaked space hobo at 1:57 PM on August 8, 2022

Response by poster: Thanks all. I liked the Blundstone recs, and in the process of trying some one to figure out the sizing ended up getting these Florsheims. Wouldn't have even known Florsheim still existed if not for your help!
posted by kittensofthenight at 6:02 PM on August 8, 2022